Novelty Songs
by Tyler Woods on Apr. 04, 2011, under Life
Often when we think of music, we think of heartwarming songs, or love. We think of emotions or some sort of statement. Music is wonderful for that. However, the other day I was watching TV and Tiny Tim came on and sang “Tip Toe through the Tupils” and it got me thinking…
In this new world we live in, we have forgotten a very basic and that is humor. It used to be way back when, songs with humor ruled the radio stations. Why not? Life is hard and people take things so seriously that heart attacks and strokes are happening more and more. I think we are trapped in reality TV, politics and awaiting for the end of the world in 2012 and have forgotten a very simple thing; How to laugh.
Music used to make us laugh. It sometimes made no sense or it could make plenty sense. I mean really who ever heard of a Purple People Eater or the Monster Mash? Well only people who wore a Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini singing My Ding a Ling. And if we listened and enjoyed it too much, we would all be afraid that they would be Coming to Take us Away.
They just don’t do fun songs that much anymore. Oh yeah we can thank “Weird Al” Yankovic for great parodies like Eat It, Fat, White & Nerdy, Addicted to Spuds, Amish Paradise, I Lost on Jeopardy and much much more. Indeed he has found his fortune in making us laugh out loud once again. Before Weird Al we had Ray Stevens who did The Streak, Ahab The Arab and Gitarzan. He made us laugh with his original songs, but today we have so little that make us laugh.
I mean yeah I can laugh at some of the artist that people like these days, but most of them take themselves so seriously that I don’t even bother. I am talking about just fun songs like Rubber Biscuit, Alley Oop, Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, Dead Skunk, The Name Game, King Tut, Wildwood Weed, Charlie Brown, Disco Duck, Junk Food Junkie and yes indeed I am sure I have left quite a bit out.
Being a retired musician, I understand how “important” it is to get our message out. To have people really listen to our music, but at the same time, I believe we can use music to make people laugh. Many artists just don’t use humor in music anymore. I am unsure why. I think musicians take themselves too serious, but quite frankly, we need a little lift with our music. There are so many bands and music out these days and with Youtube more and more people are making it and truth be told, there is a band on every street corner who think they are the next greatest thing.
So why are we not using humor in music anymore? Have we really forgotten how to laugh? I don’t know but this sure has me thinking that perhaps I should take my musical talents and begin to spread humor around rather than another love song, or another break up song, or another tweeny bopper song, or useless song where you can’t understand the lyrics or the costume, We need to just make nonsense music to help us get through this nonsense world of ours.
